County could go it alone on sewer for $26.6 million

Thursday

Mar 28, 2013 at 3:00 AM

If Henderson County goes it on its own, separate from joining a regional water and sewer authority, it would cost between roughly $26.6 million and $29.4 million to build, operate and maintain its own wastewater treatment plant, a consultant's report says.

By Nathaniel AxtellTimes-News Staff Writer

If Henderson County goes it on its own, separate from joining a regional water and sewer authority, it would cost between roughly $26.6 million and $29.4 million to build, operate and maintain its own wastewater treatment plant, a consultant's report says. Yet even the most expensive of the options would be cheaper for customers in the first year of operation than current rates charged by the Metropolitan Sewer District, says a draft report from engineering firm Davis & Floyd Inc. of Hickory.An N.C. House bill that would merge the county's Cane Creek Water and Sewer District — which serves fast-growing areas of Fletcher and Mills River — with Buncombe County's MSD and the city of Asheville's water system could be introduced as early as today.The county already has an agreement to send MSD up to 1.35 million gallons of wastewater per day for treatment and has discussed merging with MSD in the past in order to gain economies of scale and deal with future growth. A 2009 study projected county sewer flows could reach 2 million gallons a day over the next 20 years.However, commissioners made it clear in January they wanted to consider the county's own wastewater treatment options before deciding whether consolidation — either voluntary or legislated — best serves Henderson County customers.The Davis & Floyd report outlines three options for the county to address its future wastewater needs. Option A involves buying, restoring and upgrading the idled, privately-owned “Cranston” sewer plant on Highway 25 in Fletcher, which could “readily” handle 2.5 mgd and up to 4 mgd with additional capacity.That option — the only one in which MSD's large “interceptor” lines are not involved — requires the county to build a system “consisting of gravity sewers, pump stations and force mains,” which drives up the capital expenses by $6.4 million, for a total cost of $29.4 million.In the first year of operation, Davis & Floyd estimates Cane Creek customers would be charged about $4.36 per 1,000 gallons under Option A, including the annual costs of debt service, operations and maintenance. Currently, Cane Creek customers are charged $5.32 per 1,000 gallons by MSD “for similar service,” the report said.However, that doesn't include the cost of purchasing the 11-acre Cranston property, or the costs of getting a state permit to discharge treated effluent into Cane Creek, the report said. The property is appraised at $212,000, but the consultants said “the owner may also consider a lease agreement or even potential donation of this facility.”Option B mirrors the first, but assumes the county continues to use MSD's lines and requires two pump stations to push flows to its upgraded Cranston plant. This option also assumes the county and MSD can agree how to “address treatment of wastewater flow from MSD customers residing in Buncombe County” that also are tied into MSD's lines. Under that scenario, the report said Cane Creek customers would pay around $3.60 per 1,000 gallons treated in the plant's first year of operation.The final option requires the county to build a new wastewater treatment plant at what the consultants calls the “Airport Industrial site,” which would discharge into the French Broad River. County Engineer Marcus Jones said no specific parcel has been identified, but added the area makes sense from a design standpoint because that's where sewage currently leaves the county and it's the lowest point around, allowing sewage to gravity-feed to the plant.Tax maps show Henderson County owns 27.67 acres within the “Airport Industrial site” mapped by Davis & Floyd. The property — which has a large Cane Creek sewer main running through it – fronts on the French Broad River, directly opposite Westfeldt Park and next door to Continental Teves.That option would cost $29.4 million, according to Davis & Floyd, including $12.1 million to build the new treatment plant. The consultants estimated Cane Creek customers would pay about $4.16 per 1,000 gallons under that scenario. In January, MSD officials said if Cane Creek voluntarily merged with the utility, Cane Creek's 3,500 customers would save on average about $10 less per month for the exact same sewage service, or about $27.Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.